stone



(No Model.)

0. 0. STONE;

SNOW SHOE.

No. 476,572. Patented June 7, 1892.

aren't CARL o. sronn, or NEW YORK, n. Y.

SNOW-SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 476,572,

dated June '7, 1892.

Application filed February 24, 1892. $erial No. 422,626. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL O. STONE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snow-Shoes, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

In the use of snow-shoes it frequently becomes necessary for the user to ascend an inchne or steep grade, in which case it is desirable to have the shoe so constructed that the wearer can readily ascend the grade or walk over a slippery surface without great exertion and with sure footing. For this purpose some snow-shoes have heretofore been provided with a detachable device adapted to be attached to the shoe and adjusted in operative position whenever the wearer desires to climb a hillside or any grade. At theirbest such detachable friction devices are inconvenient to use and are, moreover, liable to get out of order or adjustment or to become mislaid, so as not to be at hand when needed.

My invention overcomes the above-noted objections; and it consists in a snow-shoe having the bottom or sole provided with a roughsurfaced friction plate or section, which is preferably affixed to the shoe, so as to be at all times in position for use and so that it may be called into action at will and without manipulation or adjustment on the part of the wearer of the shoe.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating a snow-shoe made in accordance with my invention, Figure 1 is a side view of the shoe with a portion of the center thereof broken away and in section on a longitudinal vertical plane. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the shoe; and Fig. 3 is a View of the shoe similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but with the difference that the center or arched portion of the sole or bottom of the shoe is here shown as forced down into fiat contact with the surface over which the shoe is operated in the act of ascending a grade.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numbers of reference indicate like parts throughout, 4. designates an ordinary form of snow-shoe which has thelbottom or sole arched or sprung from the heel to the toe, upon which two points the shoe slides in the skating or sliding movement, as will be understood from Fig. l, in which 9 represents the sliding surface or ground-line, above which the arched part of the sole stands clear. The strap 5 serves to hold the shoe to the foot, which rests upon the upper center portion 6 of the shoe. I provide the shoe with a roughened section or friction-plate 7, which is arranged upon the sole or bottom of the shoe, where it is permanently located, so as to be brought into play for walking up a grade by merely forcing the shoe down with the foot at each step in such manner as to press the friction-plate .7 into contact with the slippery surface, as shown in Fig. 3. In this way all the necessary friction is furnished that is required in walking over an inclined slippery surface, and this is done with but little exertion on part of the wearer, as he merely has to tread heavily or plant his foot with a little more than the ordinary force to get the fullbenefit of the friction device, as the shoes are made light and quite pliant and will bend under slight pressure.

The friction-plate is preferably placed at about the center of length of the bottom or sole of the shoe, and in the arched shoes it is always clear of the sliding surface over which the shoe is moved, so as to lie out of the way. It may be made of any suitable material that is tough and durable and which will provide a good frictional surface. I propose to use animal skins-such as deer-skinwhich I have here shown, and it may be extended across the full width of the shoe-bottom or a little short of it and may be so constructed as to be readily replaced when worn out. Thisplate 7 is set in a recess 8, formed in the bottom of the shoe, and lies flush with the same, and it is thus prevented from being easily torn or stripped off in using it. If desired, the ends of the recess 8 maybe undercut, and the edges of the friction-plate may be correspondingly beveled, whereby the plate may be slipped into the recess sidewise and be more securely held in place. A convenient way of attaching the plate is by gluing or cementing it, and the plate should be so placed that the rough projections or hairs run from the toe toward the heel of the shoe, in order that the same may get a better hold when called into service.

Having thus described inyiinprov ments in snow-shoes, whatlclaim as my invention, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is v A snow-shoe formed with an elas tie or pliant bottom or sole arched longitudinally and provided upon the bottom at or near the center of the arch With a non-adjustable friction device or plate perm anentl ysecured thereto and normally lying out of contact with the slidl l l ing' surface or ground and adapted to be brought into action by springing or pressing down the arch of the shoe, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 11th dayof December, 1S9l,in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses.

CARL O. STONE. Witnesses:

WILLIS FOWLER, AND. J. Pnovos'r. 

